This document discusses the benefits of installing an Emergency Communication System (ECS) in facilities. An ECS allows occupants who require assistance to communicate with emergency responders in an emergency situation. It summarizes 5 key reasons to install an ECS: 1) It ensures equal treatment for all occupants during emergencies. 2) An ECS can be used for any emergency situation, not just fires. 3) An ECS helps direct occupants to evacuation elevators. 4) Installation of an ECS may become required by code in the future. 5) Modern ECS systems are integrated, redundant, and easier to manage than older systems.

1. As an architect or engineer, when you design a facility’s life safety
system, your primary goal is to achieve compliance with state
and local fire code requirements. While that approach can help
ensure a building is well-equipped to protect lives and property
in an emergency, you may be missing out on some worthwhile
capabilities.Those capabilities can help you better support all
occupants of your building, including aging, disabled, or other
populations requiring added levels of assistance.
If you’re building a multi-story facility whose occupants may
require a level of assistance, you should consider installing an
Emergency Communication System (ECS).
NFPA 72 describes ECS as “a system for the protection of
life by indicating the existence of an emergency situation and
communicating information necessary to facilitate an appropriate
response and action.” Also referred to as an “Area of Refuge
system,” an ECS is typically connected to an off-site supervising
station for 24/7 monitoring. Supervising station operators can
talk with the occupant that needs assistance and forward that
information to the proper emergency responders as needed.
Under NFPA 101 and the International Building Code (IBC), an
ECS is a requirement for many High-Rise, Assembly, Education,
Mercantile, Business, Hotels, and Dormatory buildings. But other
facilities can benefit from the greater peace of mind, improved
communication, and the better-coordinated emergency response
that an ECS can support. It may not be required by code, but
here are five reasons why it will benefit you and your occupants.
All populations deserve equal treatment
Imagine how you would feel if you found yourself in your
facility and a fire broke out. Now imagine how you would feel in
that same situation if you were disabled, elderly, or otherwise
unable to evacuate swiftly on your own.You would appreciate
knowing you had a nearby place to go where you could wait
safely to be evacuated.You would also appreciate having the
ability to communicate back and forth with emergency personnel
the entire time.
5 Reasons WhyYou Should Have an
Emergency Communication System.
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2. An ECS offers those capabilities.You can establish areas of
refuge equipped with easy, push-button communications.
That can give occupants requiring evacuation the assistance,
information, and reassurance they need in an emergency.
Ultimately, it means everyone in your facility is treated equally,
whether they can evacuate on their own or not.
Emergency communication is useful
for more than fire
An ECS is not just for fire evacuation. Once an ECS is installed
and operating, people can use it for any emergency situation –
from assaults and active shooter incidents to power outages
and natural disasters. An ECS with power backup will function
even during power outages, ensuring that you’re better equipped
to disseminate information to occupants under almost any
circumstance.That’s something everyone will appreciate.
Buildings are getting smarter and
communication is more important
It used to be that elevators were off-limits to evacuees in
an emergency.That’s no longer true.Today, elevators can be
designed, installed, and integrated with the fire alarm system
to facilitate evacuations.
For occupants requiring added levels of assistance in emergency
situations, these Occupant Evacuation Elevators (OEE) are a
tremendous benefit, offering them greater ability to evacuate
swiftly and safely when seconds count.
But how do you inform occupants that they can evacuate safely
via selected elevators? An ECS system can be used to direct
them to the nearest designated elevator via message boards or
displays. In addition, the ECS can play specific voice messages
in those areas to provide helpful instructions to occupants.
Result?You can be sure OEEs are fully utilized in an emergency
to save lives.
You may be required to have an ECS
in the near future
NFPA 101 and the International Building Code (IBC) now require
ECS for certain facilities. However, while your local authorities
might not mandate it today, if history is any guide, they will
likely do so in the near future.You can plan ahead – and better
serve all populations in your building – by considering the
installation of an ECS now. It will likely be less disruptive and
more affordable than to do it later.
An ECS today is smarter, more robust and
reliable, and easier to manage and maintain
Perhaps you’re wary of installing an ECS because it means
having yet another building system to learn, manage, and
maintain. But an ECS can be tightly integrated with your facility’s
life safety system, enabling you to control both systems from
a central location. In addition, an ECS is a highly sophisticated,
supervised system, with redundancy, power backup, and
cloud-based communication, which can make management
easier.There are even ECS solutions that include sophisticated
software and hardware that can identify and pinpoint the
location of gunshots, enabling faster response in an active
shooter situation.Your buildings get enhanced protection
and communication without a major increase in facilities
management workload.
Take the next step now
To learn more about the best ways to design and deploy an ECS,
visit www.simplex-fire.com.
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